An archive of found family photos and artifacts for genealogists and historians.

Welcome!

I reunite identified family photos that I find in antique shops and second hand stores with genealogists and family historians. If you see one of your ancestors here and would like to obtain the original, feel free to contact me. Donations of pre-1920 photographs are also most welcome. I hope you enjoy your visit!~The Archivist

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cute as a Button: The O'Brien Girls, Minneapolis, MN; circa 1908

These two adorable cherubs are identified as "My cousins. Daughters of Micke O'Brien, my mother's brother" on the back of this photograph. The photographer was Stanislaw Kierski, who operated his studio on the south-east corner of 5th Street and Central Avenue, Minneapolis, between 1907 & 1908.

A look at the 1901 US Federal Census for Minnesota was a bit disheartening. There are well over 40 Michael O'Briens in the State at the time, far more if you count other variations. Of course I have no way of knowing if the O'Briens even lived in Minnesota.

If I restrict the search to Minneapolis only, I narrow it down to six possibilities. None really seem like a good fit. One Michael O'Brien had children about this age, but it's such a long shot. If we had the given names of the children, I would feel so much better speculating about their identity.

If, by some miracle, you think you may know who these girls are, I'd love to hear from you.

1 comment:

They are adorable. With the name and relationship you quoted at the beginning, I thought surely you would find a family member. But now that you mention it, probably not. Too bad. It would be so great to make a connection!

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About Me

I am a member of the Assocation of Professional Genealogists, The National Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society and various other local genealogy groups.
I've been working on my own family tree for about 30 years now.

A Note about Accuracy

Identification and research is often based upon information found in a handwritten notation on a photograph. The assumption is that the written identification is correct, but at the same time, know that errors could have been made, especially when the identification was added to the photo many years after the image was created. The only way to absolutely verify the identity of a person in one of these photographs, even after careful research, is to compare the image in question to another known photograph.